Monday 19 December RCTS
Chester
John Hobbs: North Wales in Black & White.John lives in
Warrington
and is well known for his presentations covering the final years of
steam in North Wales and around the north west. He is a member of the
Branch and is actively involved in railway preservation.

January 2017

Tuesday 3 January North
Wales
Railway
Circle
Secretary’s Evening. North Wales Railway Circle Secretary, Peter
Hanahoe, presents a selection of his vast catalogue of photographs he
has taken on the international railway scene.

Friday 6 January Clwyd Railway
Circle The Ffestiniog Railway. A short
history featuring FR steam locomotives and a trip up the line using
photographs from the 60's onwards. By Geoff Coward

Monday 16 January RCTS
Chester
AGM. Followed by John Cashen with a slide presentation
Non-members are welcome after 20.15 hours for John’s presentation which
will cover his reminiscences during the 1960s.

Wednesday 1 February RCTS
Liverpool
Mark Youdan. North West Railway Photography, 1995-2015. Mark, a Branch
member, is a Driver/Trainer for Arriva Rail North and held the same
position with Northern Trains.

Friday 3 February Clwyd Railway
Circle BR Steam - The Splendid Years
(1959-65 in B&W) Steam around the regions in the early 60’s by John
Sloane.

Tuesday 7 February North Wales Railway Circle
Birkenhead to The Coast. North Wales Railway Circle life member Ken
Owen entertains us with a selection of pictures starting in Birkenhead,
visiting his home town of Wrexham and travelling via his present home
Redhill to Eastbourne and Margate on the South Coast.

Monday 20 February RCTS
Chester
Fred Kirk: Leicester Area Steam Days. Fred, from Leicester, spent a lot
of his time bicycling around with his camera at the ready to various
locations on all the main lines within reasonable reach of his home.

Friday 3 March Clwyd
Railway
Circle Amlwch Branch Line and Annual
General Meeting Chairman of the Lein Amlwch - Central Anglesey Railway
Company, Walter Glyn Davies will give a presentation on the
progress
of the lines revival. The talk will be followed by the Annual General
Meeting.

Tuesday 7 March North
Wales
Railway
Circle The Abergele Accident. Tony
Griffiths gives a talk on the accident that occurred on 20th August
1868 at Abergele involving the Irish Mail and a part of a goods train
that was being shunted.

Friday 10 March Altrincham
Electric Railway Preservation Society Lecture
Eric Lomax, Railwayman of War and Peace. Images of steam in the UK
before and after the Second World War with a few taken in India during
the war; featured locos are a mixture of industrial and main line,
mostly in Scotland A digital presentation of black and white images by
Dr Michael Bailey

Monday 20 March RCTS
Chester
Paul Chancellor. A Colour-Rail Presentation. Paul, from
Bromsgrove,
is owner of Colour-Rail and will highlight the work of many fine
railway photographers covering the better part of 70 years. He is also
the RO Editor for the ‘Preservation and Other Railways’ section.

Tuesday 4 April North Wales Railway Circle
Bangor to Hong Kong by
Rail. Adam Fetherstonhaugh gives an account of his epic journey by rail
from Bangor to Hong Kong via Beijing and then on to Vietnam and
Cambodia.

Wednesday 5 April RCTS
Liverpool
David Rapson. Railways - The Digital Effect David, who lives in
Connah's Quay, has worked on the railways for many years spending a lot
of his life in Control positions and now works for West Coast Railway
Company. He is also a Branch member and for those who read Rail Express
will be aware of his contributions.

Friday 7 April Clwyd
Railway
Circle Railways of North Cheshire in
Early BR Days Being a Manchester lad, Russell Hatt was able to capture
the busy scenes around his home area.

Monday 24 April RCTS
Chester
George Jones : Onwards to Corwen.George lives in Wrexham and for
many
years has been an important publicist for the Llangollen Railway and
certain of its locomotives. He will cover the railway’s reinvigoration
of the line to Corwen and look at its future
prospects.

Tuesday 2 May North
Wales
Railway
Circle AGM and Annual Photographic
Competition. The Annual General Meeting of The North Wales
Railway
Circle will be followed by the annual photographic competition.
Members are invited to submit their work in three categories, prints,
slides and video. Video to be kept reasonably short, approx. 5
mins.
In line with Circle rules all work should have been taken in the last
12 months.

Built in 1922 for the Dinorwic quarry whose ruins occupy the mountain
above the line, Dolbadarn runs along the shore of Llyn Padarn
on 15 November. Picture by Alan Crawshaw.

Back to normal - some items have been held over to
next week. Thanks to all who have written. If you have not seen it, you
might want to view last weeks late-running special history feature
about FNW Class 47 North Wales
Coast haulage. - Charlie

Visiting an old friend - report by Charlie Hulme

My favourite loco of the Class 37 era was surely 37 422Robert
F.
Fairlie, Locomotive Engineer, which I had first encountered in
its early days as a 37/4 in the Scottish Highlands (above - running
round at Fort William in 1987), and later on Peak District freights
before it was sent to Crewe as a North Wales passenger engine in 1993.

It was named that year in a ceremony at Blaenau Ffestiniog to
commemorate the designer of the Ffestiniog Railway's articulated locos.
Transferred away in 1999, it worked in South Wales and elsewhere until
2008 was eventually put in store by EWS and later offered for sale with
others of the type. Bought by DRS in 2011, after a period in store it
was given a comprehensive overhaul, returning to service in August
2015. Since then it has seen service on both DRS passenger contracts,
in Cumbria for Northern and in East Anglia for Abellio Greater Anglia.

I caught up with 422 again, now un-named and in plain blue livery, on a
short holiday in Norwich in late November. Greater Anglia has been
short of diesel multiple units, and has contracted with DRS to provide
two Class 37 locos (top-and-tail) and three coaches to supplement their
fleet for the services to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The scene above
is at Norwich, after working 2P20 12:36 Norwich - Great Yarmouth and
2P21 13:17 return. I had hope that the set would work 14:55 to
Lowestoft, but on the day this was this was a Class 170 unit.

The next day, Saturday 26 November, was a bird-watching day, for which
we travelled to the weekends-only request stop at Buckenham. At 12:17,
37 422 passed with 2J74 12:04 Norwich - Lowestoft. (We also saw a
Peregrine Falcon, many Wigeon and a Marsh Harrier).

Later we walked to nearby Strumpshaw
Fen RSPB reserve, from the entrance of which I got an action shot
of 37 405 leading 2J77 12:58 Lowestoft - Norwich. This loco did
work in North Wales, but only for a short period in 1995-96. It too was
sold to DRS in 2011, to be revived by them in 2013, somewhat earlier
than 37 422. The coaches in this set are 5919, 5987 and 9525.

Also in action was another three-coach set, top-and-tailed by two DRS
Class 68 locos, 68 002Intrepid (above, at Norwich) and
68 005Defiant. I believe they are
deputising for a Class 170 which is being repaired after a
level-crossing accident. The three Mk2 coaches in this set have been
painted in a 'heritage' rail blue and grey livery.

We couldn't leave the Wherry lines without a visit to the famously
isolated request stop at Berney Arms, aboard 156 412 on Sunday
27 November. The eponymous pub is closed now, but walking the short
distance across a field to the Windmill and RSPB office we were
slightly disappointed to see three cars and an RAC van parked
there. The 14:02 return train to Norwich did appear, so we did
not have to be rescued
by boat as happened to a family a few months ago. Irrelevant fact:
across the water from Berney Arms is Burgh Castle Caravan Park, where
my grandfather lived for several years after retirement.

The 'Irish Mancunian'

The stations at Eccles and Patricroft lie on the route of North Wales -
Manchester trains - although Arriva Trains Wales services do not call -
but we seldom receive pictures taken there, making these two fine views
of Patricroft by Jack Bowley are especially welcome. The train
is 1H89 13:07 Holyhead - Manchester Piccadilly on 24 November, led by
Driving Van Trailer 82308.

Propelling from the rear, 67 010. The station area has a bleak
look today, which belies the fact that this was once a four-platform
station at a centre of heavy industrial activity as well as the site of
a railway motive power depot, one of the last to host British Railways
steam. In the area north of the station, to the left in this picture,
was James Nasmyth's Bridgewater Foundry, where over 1600 steam locos
were built, before the place became an ordnance factory in World War
II. Among the workers at Nasmyth, Wilson in the early 1900s was iron
driller Charles Hulme, great-uncle of the present author.

This map is from the 1930s.

Llanfair PG, 28 November (Paul Shannon).

Frodsham viaduct, 29 November (Paul Shannon). 67 010 was given
blue livery in 2014 on the launch of the new Caledonian Sleeper
franchise, only to be repainted again recently as 67s have been
displaced on the diesel legs of the Highland sleeper by pairs of
rebuilt Class 73 electro-diesels.

67 010 on the rear of the 13:07 Holyhead - Manchester at Mostyn, 29
November (Tim Rogers).

Passing Connah's Quay on 30 November with 1D34 09:50 Manchester
Piccadilly to Holyhead, 67 010 with coaches 12183, 12177,
12178 and 12184 and Driving Van Trailer 82308 (Tim Rogers).
Arriva's Mk3
standard-class coach fleet, 12176 to 12185, were originally built as
first-class vehicles from the 110xx series, for West Coast Main Line
service, so would have travelled this way in their heyday.

If you'd like a Class 67 of your own, 67 023 and 67 027 are currently
for sale by DB Cargo.

Evening at Llandudno - with Larry Davies

We had a welcome visitor at Llandudno on the evening of 25
November in the shape of 1Q06 Crewe to Crewe LNWR via Llandudno
and Holyhead Measurement train. Above, the consist led by Driving
Trailer 9708 in stands in platform 1.

97 301 ticks over. A lovely sound to hear in Llandudno
again.

150 217 waits for passengers on the last train of the day at 19:05 for
Blaenau Ffestiniog.

A gleaming 67 010 stands at Llandudno at the end of its
journey with the 16:50 from Manchester Piccadilly.

Tampers etc.

Swietelsky Babcock Rail's [DR] 73904 Thomas Telford in Rhyl's
Engineers' siding on 22 November. The unit had arrived the day before
from Warrington CE sidings. Picture by Roly High.

By following day, 23 November, the machine had re-located to Bangor (Jim
Johnson).

Also present at Bangor on 23 November, Network Rail Stoneblower DR
80211 (Jim Johnson). Wikipedia says: 'A Stoneblower is a railway
track maintenance machine that automatically lifts and packs the
sleepers with small grade ballast, which is blown under the sleepers to
level the track. An alternative to the use of a ballast tamper, the
totally self-contained machine levels track without the use of a large
gang of workmen.'

The pair at Valley station
after leaving the transship siding. Picture by Tim Rogers.

The Pullman-liveried locos catch the last rays of sunshine on 23
November at 14:41.

In the 'going-away' shot, note the new LED 'Up starter' signals, which
replaced the old colour-lights sometime in October. If not required to
show a 'double yellow' aspect, this type of signal requires only one
'lamp head' (Jim Johnson).

37 059 and 37 610 soon after leaving Valley on 28 November (Paul
Shannon). The reversing triangle used by flask trains and by the
locos from steam specials is in the background.

The same train at Rhosneigr on 28 November (Rowan Crawshaw).

The Northern Belle locos appeared again on 30 November. Tim Rogers
photographed them with two wagons passing Shotton Low Level in the
twilight.

Trawsfynydd Appeal extended

The Trawsfynydd and Blaenau Ffestiniog Community Railway was given an
extension by DB Cargo until 9 December to raise the remainder of the
£19,600 they bid for 08 757, a working class 08 shunter which they
intend to use on the project to reinstate this extension from Blaenau
to Trawsfynydd Lake. The target seems to have been achieved, according
to their Crowdfunder
website: we await developments.

RHTT news

Just a few weeks left for this year's Rail Head Treatment Train: 56
087's filthy flanks catch the sunshine at Bangor on 23 November.
Picture by Rowan Crawshaw.

Tim
Rogers photographed the eastbound working from Queen's Road bridge
on
23 November, formed of 56 087 and 56 078 with Network
Rail 'FEA' flat wagons 642027, 642045 and 642016.

A chance for a modeller's look at the locos. 56 087 ...

... and 56 078 (Tim Rogers).

Coleham depot, base for the RHTT, is not an easy subject for
photography, but Clifford Carter gave it a try on 27 November.
As well as the Colas Class 56s stabled in the shunting neck, also
present were two Freightliner locos 66 524 (seen above) and 66
957. There have been reports that Freightliner were taking
over the RHTT, but this does not seem to have happened.

... also visible, 97 302.

Water cannons still in action as the train rolls into platform 1 at
Holyhead on 28 November (Rowan Crawshaw). It is said that
the pressure of the jets is so high that they must be turned off before
the train stops, or the rail head will be damaged.

56 087 stars in the classic (at least since the new road bridge was
built) view at Holyhead, 28 November (Rowan Crawshaw).

Passing the well-preserved Chester and Holyhead Railway station, which
still awaits the installation of a platform 'hump' on 3 December (Rowan
Crawshaw).

Les Burton writes: 'I was in Sheffield on 24 November when
to my surprise at 12:30 two DRS Class 20s twenties were ticking over on
the through road with the York-based Rail Head Treatment Train. Not a
good shot the weather was abysmal.' The nearest loco is 20 305,
the other (probably) 20 312.

Mid-Cheshire freight

At Mobberley on 25 November, in twenty minutes two loco hauled
freights. It should have been three but a light-loco working from Hope
to Crewe did not materialise. First up at 14:04 was Liverpool - Drax
power station biomass, with 66 708Jane ...

... followed at 14:15 by the Folly Lane - Brindle Heath 'binliner' with
Freightliner 66 956. Pictures by Les Burton.

Welsh Steam at the NEC - report by Roger Carvell

I visited the Warley Model Railway Exhibition at the Birmingham NEC on
Saturday, 21 November
Above is 'star' exhibit. new-build 4-6-0 6880Betton
Grange. 6880's chimney was originally worn by scrapped 6868 Penrhos
Grange so it is possible to claim that a 'Grange' has been built
once more beneath it!

Presentation by the organisers, Warley Model Railway Club, of a
donation to the Railway
Children charity

Also on show were Vale of Rheidol locos 7 and 9, this time appearing as
1213 as 'assembled' (not built!) at Swindon in 1923. No.9 (above) was
always thought to be a rebuild of an earlier VoR engine but its exact
origin has always been of debate to those with nothing better to do!

No.7 is midway through an overhaul and made an interesting exhibit
'half undressed'.

442s for ATW?

A recent
press report originating from Welsh Government circles suggests
that some of the Class 442 electric trains, originally built for the
London - Weymouth line in the late 1980s and later used on Gatwick
Express services but now redundant, could be used in modified form on
Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) long-distance services, freeing up some
diesel units for South Wales Valleys service.

These trains are five-coach sets, for third-rail electrified lines,
powered by electric motors (recycled from the 4-REP units they
replaced) driving all four axles of one of the non-driving
coaches. The idea seems to be that this coach would be removed
leaving a four-coach set which could be worked in push-pull mode by a
Class 67 or maybe a 68. They are based on Mk3 coaches, but unlike
those built for HST and loco-hauled use at the time, and the Mk3s
presently in use by ATW, they have powered doors.

Wiring modifications would be needed to work with locos, but the idea
does seem feasible; we hear that some test have already been made with
one of the 442 sets stored at Ely. It has been suggested in the
past for the Trans-Pennine lines, but brand new loco-hauled sets are
now on order for that company.

Will this happen? Who knows, but the leasing company that owns them is
keen to find another use.